A common lifting situation in the EMS industry is picking a person up from the floor or ground using a backboard. Typically, a person is first “log rolled” onto the backboard, and then the backboard is lifted and moved onto a patient handling apparatus, such as an emergency cot. Log rolling refers to when a person is rolled upwardly, after which a backboard is positioned alongside the person and then tilted up about the edge closest to the person so that the person can then be leaned against the backboard. Thereafter, the person and backboard can be lowered together onto the floor or ground surface by tilting the backboard about the edge that is located under the person. Once the person is lowered to the floor, EMS personnel typically lift the person and the backboard and place it onto a cot. Because the backboard is typically lying flat on the floor or ground surface, it is particularly hard for EMS personnel to get into a proper lifting position, which can result in stress and strain on EMS personnel.
Further, conventional backboards can be uncomfortable, and when loaded onto a cot can make a person feel unstable. This is especially true while being transported, which can cause a person to tense up and potentially strain muscles that are already injured.
Accordingly, there is a need to reduce the stress and strain on EMS personnel when handling a person who needs to be moved from a lying position on a floor or ground surface to a cot and to make the backboard more comfortable, but without compromising its function—to keep a person in a supine position.